PENANG ISLAND, MALAYSIA -- Escatec has named Patrick Macdonald chief executive, effective Jun. 1, based at the EMS company's headquarters at the Bayan Lepas global electronics cluster here.

Macdonald assumes the role from group managing director Markus Walther, who is retiring after 31 years with the company.

Prior to Escatec, Macdonald was managing director and CEO of Universal Wolf (part of the Tharsus Group). Macdonald brings over 20 years experience in the EMS and OEM industries, and has cross-functional expertise in the management of large organizations. Over the course of his career, he has been based in Hungary, Poland, Ukraine, the USA, and Germany. This global exposure, coupled with a proven track record in change management, has given Patrick a reputation as a “turnaround specialist” and as an outstanding tactical and strategic leader.

Established in 1974, Escatec provides electronics manufacturing services – from design and development, engineering, certification, manufacturing to post-manufacturing – in a variety of market segments. Its customer base includes a long list of world leading OEMs, with annual revenues of about $200 million.

“I am very pleased to handover my responsibilities to Patrick Macdonald, my successor and new CEO of the Escatec Group," Walther said in a statement. "Patrick has a wealth of experience in the EMS industry and is a leader with a great personality. I have no doubt that Patrick will grow Escatec to the next level.”

Macdonald said: “I am honored to join Escatec at this exciting time in the Group’s evolution. Executive chairman Christophe Albin and Markus have built a fantastic company which is well positioned for a strong and successful future. I look forward to working closely with Mr. Albin, the leadership team at Escatec and all our employees in Malaysia and Switzerland, to lead them through the next phase of growth.”

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